Getting different applications to talk to each other is a problem faced by many companies. Application integration is particularly troublesome when legacy systems are involved, and transferring data between old mainframe systems and more modern applications can be cumbersome and time-consuming. A good deal of time is spent on ensuring this happens, and software is often available to help with the process.
There is a lot of middleware around designed to help overcome these problems, and this is often very helpful. Failing this, a procedure to download, from one database, convert the data, then upload to another database might be necessary. Such procedures are often unstable and demand the attention of highly skilled people.
Originally it was felt that object oriented databases would overcome these problems for new applications. However, many applications are developed independently, and the problem of duplicate entities persists. The solution would be to have one database, with all applications making use of it, especially for common data.
Because proprietary application packages are popular, it is still possible to have a variety of object-oriented databases used by different applications where entities common to several applications are duplicated. With this situation the problem simply continues in an up-to-date guise. Because these packages are common solutions to requirements, the situation really has not changed much.
The ideal would seem to be to have common data such as customers, suppliers and anything else residing in a central database with standard data maintenance and query modules associated with it. Any new applications or packages should link to this, while any data used only within an application could be kept separate or integrated, as preferred.
At the moment this would seem a dream. The Information systems world is sitting with Lamborghini computing power and Model T applications concepts. Perhaps IT should adopt the same approach as manufacturing, where older, less efficient machines are quickly replaced: not to do so makes a company uncompetitive, and saving money by using old equipment is known to be a wasteful chimera, resorted to by unaware managements.
As it is, the productivity of many IT departments is abysmal, despite the many dedicated, intelligent, hard-working professionals they employ, many involve in application integration. In fact, smaller companies usually just live with the various versions of the same data, and simply capture it several times. With so much to be done, it is easy to imagine that the present situation will be viewed with incredulity by future generations of IT professionals, once a rationalized approach has been developed.
There is a lot of middleware around designed to help overcome these problems, and this is often very helpful. Failing this, a procedure to download, from one database, convert the data, then upload to another database might be necessary. Such procedures are often unstable and demand the attention of highly skilled people.
Originally it was felt that object oriented databases would overcome these problems for new applications. However, many applications are developed independently, and the problem of duplicate entities persists. The solution would be to have one database, with all applications making use of it, especially for common data.
Because proprietary application packages are popular, it is still possible to have a variety of object-oriented databases used by different applications where entities common to several applications are duplicated. With this situation the problem simply continues in an up-to-date guise. Because these packages are common solutions to requirements, the situation really has not changed much.
The ideal would seem to be to have common data such as customers, suppliers and anything else residing in a central database with standard data maintenance and query modules associated with it. Any new applications or packages should link to this, while any data used only within an application could be kept separate or integrated, as preferred.
At the moment this would seem a dream. The Information systems world is sitting with Lamborghini computing power and Model T applications concepts. Perhaps IT should adopt the same approach as manufacturing, where older, less efficient machines are quickly replaced: not to do so makes a company uncompetitive, and saving money by using old equipment is known to be a wasteful chimera, resorted to by unaware managements.
As it is, the productivity of many IT departments is abysmal, despite the many dedicated, intelligent, hard-working professionals they employ, many involve in application integration. In fact, smaller companies usually just live with the various versions of the same data, and simply capture it several times. With so much to be done, it is easy to imagine that the present situation will be viewed with incredulity by future generations of IT professionals, once a rationalized approach has been developed.
About the Author:
Peggie K. Lambert is an expert in data management and integration. Need to learn more about application integration? If so the author recommends you visit www.liaison.com.
